Calaveras Dam Replacement Project reaches 70,000 Safe working hours

Today was not just a typical work day at Calaveras Dam.  It was a day to acknowledge safe working practices since the project reached over 70,000 safe working craft hours since May 2013.  

Rebuilding the dam continues to be a challenging project with the complex geology and location of the Calaveras Dam nestled in the pristine Alameda Creek watershed.  Our laborers have been working diligently to seismically upgrade the dam since construction began.  To date, they have much to be proud of including completion of major adits and tunnels to the new intake structure, completion of grouting operations on the right abutment, and moving over 4 million cubic yards of materials for dam construction.  Most importantly, the team focuses on performing all of this work safely.

A joint venture of Dragados USA / Flatiron Construction / Sukut Construction serves as the contractor for the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.  The  Calaveras Dam Replacement Project is part of the Water System Improvement Program which provides drinking water to 2.6 million Bay Area customers.

New Irvington Tunnel Roadheaders Get Well-Deserved Break

They worked an average of 20 hours a day, 5 days a week for two and a half years; grinding away at rock hundreds  of feet underground. And now, they’re finally getting the rest they deserve.

The three road headers that helped excavate the New Irvington Tunnel were removed from the tunnel last month after we holed through from tunnel headings and they are now out in the fresh air and resting after completing the excavation of the three and half mile-long tunnel.  The largest of the group is a Mitsui Miike which weighs in at 57 tons. The two Antraquip roadheaders each weigh 36 tons. 

What lies ahead for our three tunnel veterans? All three machines could be refurbished for use at future jobs. 

While the workhorses await their future fate, work continues to complete the New Irvington Tunnel. Crews will begin installing the steel lining soon. The entire project is expected to be complete in 2015.

Join Us at the Sunol Cowboy Hootenanny Folk Festival this Saturday

This past weekend, for the second year in a row, the Sunol Regional Outreach Team participated in the East Bay Regional Park District’s Sunol Cowboy Hootenanny Folk Festival at the Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness Park! The event celebrates folk and pioneer history in the Sunol Valley with live music, vintage arts and crafts, square dancing, horse rides, food and more.

We really enjoyed sharing photos of our agency’s long history in the Sunol Valley. A clear favorite among booth visitors was a display of 20 million year-old fossils unearthed during construction of the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project. Many visitors already knew a great deal about our current efforts to upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System for future generations and about the Alameda Creek Watershed. Let’s see how much you know!

Below is a sampling of questions to test your own knowledge. Don’t peek at the answers!

1. What did the average house cost when the San Antonio Pump Station was built in 1965?

2. Who was the original designer of the first Calaveras Dam?

3. Currently, miners in the New Irvington Tunnel use a handheld gas detector encased in rubberized armor with ultra-bright LED alarms to detect dangerous gases. What did miners use in the existing Irvington Tunnel?

At the festival we tested attendees’ knowledge of local water system history along with some historical trivia.

Answers:

1. Answer: $14,000. We recently completed work to upgrade it and make it more reliable in case of an earthquake, because it is the literal and figurative heart of our water conveyance system in the Sunol Valley.

2. Answer: The original Calaveras Dam was built by California’s most famous water engineer, William Mulholland. In 1913 Mulholland supervised construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which brought the water from Owens Valley that enabled Los Angeles to grow into the nation’s second-largest metropolis.

3. Answer: A Canary. Canaries were once regularly used in tunneling and mining as an
early warning system. The phrase "canary in a coal mine" is frequently used to refer to a person or thing which serves as an early warning of a coming crisis.

 

View of the Sunol Water Temple from 1922.

New Geary Road Bridge Installed in Sunol Ohlone Regional Wilderness Park

The bridge, the very same as in the project’s title - Geary Road Bridge Project -- is here! Using a large crane, the contractor carefully lowered 50-foot-long bridge sections down onto the concrete piers that were already secured at both ends of the bridge. Now crews will focus on completing the bridge deck, the roadway approaching the bridge on both ends and installing all the bridge guardrails. The bridge is scheduled to be open to the public at the end of October.

This new concrete and steel bridge will further protect Alameda Creek at this location by eliminating the need for vehicles to drive through Alameda Creek at the low-water crossing. This project is taking place within East Bay Regional Park District’s Sunol Ohlone Regional Wilderness, and the area surrounding the bridge will be restored after construction is complete later this fall. 

Quenching Thirst at the 2013 Sunol Glen Walk-a-Thon

Run, walk, and fill-up on water. Quenching the thirst of more than 250 children, ranging from pre-school to eighth grade, became the main focus during the 2013 Sunol Glen School Walk-a-Thon a few weeks ago.  Not only were the kids thirsty for water, but also thirsty for information and asked questions like, “Where does this water come from?” or “Is this really Hetch Hetchy water?”.

With several large Water System Improvement Program projects under construction just a few miles away from the Town of Sunol, the Sunol Regional Outreach team is always looking for opportunities like this to be involved with the community and the walk-a-thon was a perfect way to do just that.  We also provide drinking water to more than 160 residences in the Town of Sunol.

Again this year, our volunteers from the Water Supply and Treatment Division provided the famous ‘Got Water?’ truck and staff joined us to help distribute water to the walkers. Aside from a few mud splatters here and there, the system was a big hit and the kids loved refilling their own water bottles from the spigots. A special thanks to Dean Tdosa and Mike Ishman from the Water Supply and Treatment Division who were there to help keep the students hydrated.

The Sunol Glen Walk-a-Thon happens every year in October, and students have earned more than $350,000 for their school since the Walk-a-thon started 20 years ago. We look forward to being part of this Sunol Glen School tradition for years to come!

Photos:

   SFPUC Team members helped distribute water and even some of the youngest participants enjoyed drinking Hetch Hetchy water. 

                                                                          Unique water spouts helped quickly distribute water to thirsty walkers. 

Emergency Preparedness Month

The First 72 Hours 
October 17, 2013 marked the 24^th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.  Therefore, this October we would like focus on emergency preparedness. The first 72 hours after an emergency are often the times when community members come together to help each other out. If we prepare beforehand, we’ll be better off when an emergency occurs. 

What can you do?
Meet with your family, neighbors and community organizers to get connected, develop a plan and share resources. One of the best ways to be prepared is to get involved with the Alameda County Fire Department's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program that serves the cities of San Leandro, Dublin, Union City, Newark and the Unincorporated Areas of Alameda County. 


Alameda County CERT
The purpose of CERT is to train people living in Alameda County to take care of themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of a disaster. After several large-scale disasters such as 9/11, the Oakland Hills Fire and Loma Prieta Earthquake, there was a realization that not all emergency services personnel will be able to reach everyone right away. Therefore, communities may have to tend to their own minor emergencies before help arrives. Check out the Alameda County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)'s Blog for more information about training opportunities and tips. 

Other Resources include the following: Alameda County Fire Department and Alameda County Office of Emergency Services.   

SFPUC is Preparing Too

Our community members are not the only ones getting prepared. We at the SFPUC has been improving and renovating our regional water system to ensure that our customers receive a safe and reliable water supply when they need it the most – after an earthquake. Recent upgrades to the water transmission system in the Sunol Valley have increased our ability and operational flexibility in case of a disaster. The promise of the multi-billion dollar Water System Improvement Program is to provide minimum day demand to our customers within 24 hours of a major earthquake within our system. 

Milestone Breakthrough for the New Irvington Tunnel

Roadheader breaks through for final hole-through on October 8th

On October 8, 2013 at precisely 9:00 a.m. two crews of miners from the New Irvington Tunnel project met underground with their roadheader digging away at the last final feet of rock.  Miners celebrated the final hole-through excavation of the 18,660 foot tunnel.  The 3.5 mile New Irvington Tunnel will transmit water between the Sunol Valley and Fremont to our 2.6 million Bay Area customers. Work is still not quite done yet, our miners will prepare the new tunnel for installation of 8.5 ft diameter steel pipe, installed in 50-foot sections and welded together inside of the tunnel.  This will be followed by the placement of cellular concrete between the steel pipe and tunnel wall to complete the project in mid-2015. 

 

Hole-Through Challenge Winner: Priya Iyer
With that, we also would like to congratulate our Hole-Through Challenge contestant.... Priya Iyer! Priya selected the winning time and date of the hole-through and will be receiving our prize package.  Congratulations to Priya!

Our hardworking New Irvington Tunnel crew

                                      Tunnel Superintendents Jim Mulkey and Jack Bowling from 

                                      Southland Contracting share a handshake after the hole-through.

New Irvington Tunnel Project Staff celebrates Hole-Through